We all love the tropical vibe a Date Palm brings to a spacious living room, balcony, or patio. During the summer, these beauties live for warm, sunny days. However, once winter rolls around, they hit the “pause” button on growth and need a cool place to rest. To make sure your palm bounces back in the spring, there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind.
Overwintering Your Date Palm Indoors
If your palm lives inside year-round, you’ll want to move it from its usual sunny spot to a bright but chilly winter home in late fall. Ideally, the room temperature shouldn’t climb above 60°F (15°C). Great spots for this include:
- A bright hallway
- A cool sunroom or conservatory
- A basement with windows
- A bright garage
- An unheated, frost-free garden shed
If your chosen spot is a bit too dim, don’t worry—a simple grow light can help bridge the gap.
Keeping Date Palms Outdoors
Some Date Palm varieties are semi-hardy and can handle a quick dip down to about 21°F (-6°C). But if a real freeze is coming, they need protection. If you can, the best move is to bring potted palms into a frost-free room.
If your palm has to stay outside, here’s how to tuck it in for the winter:
- Move the palm to a spot shielded from wind and heavy rain.
- Place the pot on a thick wooden board or a piece of Styrofoam to insulate it from the cold ground.
- Wrap the pot itself in burlap or bubble wrap.
- Cover the root area with brushwood, evergreen branches, dry leaves, or even a layer of compost.
- Wrap the fronds in a breathable, light-permeable garden fleece.
If your palm is planted directly in the ground, wrap it snugly in garden fleece and give the root zone a thick blanket of mulch and evergreen boughs.
The Winter Dormancy Period
The biggest secret to success is balancing light and temperature. If it’s too warm but too dark, your palm will get “leggy” and the fronds will start to droop. On the flip side, if it’s too cold, the plant won’t survive. Warm winter air is also an open invitation for pests like spider mites. To keep them away, keep the temps cool and give the leaves an occasional misting with water.
Since Date Palms are pretty tough, you can usually wait until late October to move them into winter quarters. Once the threat of hard frost passes—usually late March or early April—you can take off the winter gear. Just a heads-up: don’t put them in direct sun right away! They need to get used to the light again slowly, or those beautiful fronds might get a sunburn.
